US: Talks progressing with Saudis on possible nuclear program
US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Saturday that conversations with Saudi Arabia on a nuclear program are going forward.
World Headlines
US still pressing Turkey to nix Russian missile purchase, official says
The United States is still in talks with Turkey to get Ankara to ‘walk away’ from the Russian missile defense system it bought, a senior State Department official said on Friday, but warned Turkey that the risk of sanctions over the issue persisted.
Chile government promises reform after a million take to the streets in biggest protests for decades
Chile’s president called for a major cabinet reshuffle a day after widespread protests against inequality saw a million people flood Santiago’s streets.
Catalonia crisis: Separatist protest draws 350,000 in Barcelona
About 350,000 people have protested in Barcelona over the jailing of separatist leaders from Spain’s Catalonia region, police say.
Russia Will Test Its Ability to Disconnect from the Internet
Russia will test its internal RuNet network to see whether the country can function without the global internet, the Russian government announced Monday. The tests will begin after Nov. 1, recur at least annually, and possibly more frequently. It’s the latest move in a series of technical and policy steps intended to allow the Russian government to cut its citizens off from the rest of the world.
Air Force F-15Es arrive in United Arab Emirates
The F-15Es arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base on deployment from the 494th Fighter Squadron, stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Britain, to support ongoing Middle East operations.
US Seeking to Mediate Feud Over Nile Dam
The Trump administration has invited the foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to Washington to discuss a giant hydropower dam project on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile, the focus of an escalating feud between Addis Ababa and Cairo over water resources.
EU keeps UK waiting on Brexit delay, Johnson gears for an election
Britain could have a general election by the end of the year after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill was passed, but ultimately held up Tuesday.
‘We do not know where they are’: More than 100 ISIS prisoners missing in Syria
More than 100 Islamic State prisoners have gone missing since Turkey invaded Syria, and the State Department doesn’t know where they are, the department’s anti-ISIS chief said today.
Despite setback, Kurds appear ready for Washington-Moscow spotlight
Syrian Kurdish leader General Mazlum Kobani was on the phone with the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and got support from Washington on Wednesday, two weeks after it seemed his Syrian Democratic Forces were on the ropes against Turkey.
Google achieves ‘quantum supremacy’ with new supercomputer, but rivals are skeptical
Google announced today in an article published in the journal Nature that it has finally pulled off the computing benchmark, after a leak last month hinted at the feat. The company claims its quantum computer, which runs on a 54-qubit chip called Sycamore, took only 3 minutes and 20 seconds to calculate a problem that would take the world’s fastest computer 10,000 years to solve, Google says.
This Year’s Ozone Hole Is Smallest Ever Recorded
The ozone hole Antarctica is the smallest this year since scientists started tracking its thinning in 1982, federal researchers announced on Monday.
Turkey Says ‘No Need’ to Resume Offensive Against Kurds
Turkey says there is ‘no need’ to resume its military offensive against Syrian Kurds, saying the U.S. has told it that the Kurdish withdrawal from the northern Syrian border is complete.
Doctors hail first drug to ‘slow down’ Alzheimer’s
Doctors have welcomed a ‘turning point’ in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease after the development of a drug apparently able to slow the condition if it is caught in its earliest stages.
Lebanese protests continue despite PM’s emergency economic reforms
Facing escalating mass protests, the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday approved a package of economic reforms and a 2020 budget without new taxes. Protests swelled in the hours after the announcement, however, as many demonstrators scorned the package as ’empty promises.’
Bolivians riot as election hangs in balance
Rioting has erupted in at least nine cities around Bolivia over claims of fraud in a presidential election held Sunday that could hand leftist incumbent candidate Evo Morales his fourth term.
Justin Trudeau wins second term in Canada elections but loses majority
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a second term in Canada’s national elections Monday, losing the majority but delivering unexpectedly strong results despite having been weakened by a series of scandals that tarnished his image as a liberal icon.
Germany Pitches Internationally-Controlled ‘Security Zone’ in Northern Syria
Germany should leverage its U.N. Security Council membership to push for an ‘internationally-controlled security zone’ in Syria, the country’s defense minister said on Monday.
Russia covered up explosion of Skyfall nuclear superweapon
Russia covered up the deadly nuclear reactor explosion in August during the salvage at sea of one of Vladimir Putin’s new superweapons, a nuclear-powered cruise missile called Skyfall, a senior State Department official disclosed.
EU will delay Brexit until February if Johnson fails to ratify deal this week
The Sunday Times has reported bit.ly/2p1UfbJ that the European Union will delay Brexit until February 2020 if Prime Minister Boris Johnson is unable to get his deal past parliament this week.